Over the years, car accidents have become more and more common. With car accidents, come the inevitable injuries. Even small “fender-benders” can reap injuries that you may not even be aware of. Did you know that a disabling injury due to an auto accident occurs every 14 seconds? The most common form of injury due to an accident is whiplash.
Whiplash effects over 1 million people yearly, and its symptoms can last a lifetime. Whiplash injuries occur as a result of a severe jerk to the head, much like the cracking of a whip. Pain due to whiplash can occur immediately, within days, weeks, or even months to occur. Some people experience whiplash but don’t know that this injury has occurred until months later. The key to treating whiplash is to treat it as soon as possible. If you are ever in a car accident, no matter how small, one of the first calls you need to make is to schedule an appointment with your chiropractor. Of course that call should occur after the call to the police and your insurance company. If whiplash isn’t treated shortly after it occurs, the symptoms and problems that arise could last forever.
Some common symptoms of whiplash include neck pain, back pain, headaches, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, arm or shoulder pain, arm or shoulder numbness, and a loss of range of motion. The pain caused by whiplash can become chronic and last a lifetime. Treatment for whiplash includes spinal manipulation, muscle stimulation, and muscle relaxation. These treatment forms focus on restoring range of motion. This is where time is of the essence. If you are unaware of your injury, or ignore the pain caused by whiplash, restoring range of motion can be extremely difficult. The longer you wait to seek treatment, the longer treatments can take to restore this range of motion. Treatment options also focus on reducing pain. This can be done by muscle relaxation, stimulation, or chiropractic adjustments. By stimulating the central nervous system through spinal manipulation, your body can begin to heal itself from the inside out. Nerve cells will be functioning properly, causing your body’s overall function to increase.
By using muscle relaxation and stimulation techniques, your chiropractor can begin to work on the muscles that have been injured. By gently stretching the muscles using pressure, blood flow is increased within the area that pressure is applied. This increase of blood flow will help cramped muscles to relax, and stretching the muscles will help restore them to their prior size and restore range of motion. By stretching, relaxing, and stimulating muscles, pain can be reduced greatly. Each case of whiplash is different and may require additional treatments specific to the injury.
If you’ve been involved in a car accident, or are experiencing any of the symptoms above, give the whiplash experts a call today. 816-584-0444